WATCH: UAE astronaut Sultan AlNeyadi sends Eid greetings from space – News

He dons a traditional white kandura and celebrates the occasion with his “trusty partner Suhail”

On the first day of Eid al-Fitr, Emirati astronaut Sultan AlNeyadi wore a white kandura, accompanied by his trusty sidekick “astro” Suhail, to greet his family, friends and everyone on Earth greetings.

On Friday, AlNeyadi shared a one-minute video on Twitter, accompanied by celebratory Arabic music, saying: “Usually, Eid is with my family and children. Celebrate Eid with partner Suhail.

“My warmest greetings to my family, friends and everyone on the planet on this blessed occasion. May this special occasion bring you peace, happiness and prosperity. Eid Mubarak!”

In the video, AlNeyadi is seen floating with Suhail, the mascot of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC), inside the cupola observatory module of the International Space Station (ISS). Suhail, the Arabic name for the star Canopus, was also seen wearing a gray kandura instead of the usual SpaceX spacesuit.

Along with the Eid greetings, Al Neyadi also took a quick look at the dome-shaped bay window, which offers a stunning view of the Earth from an altitude of 400 kilometers.

AlNeyadi, who is in the second month of his half-year mission on the orbiting space station, has been conducting science experiments throughout the month of Ramadan.

However, the pioneering Emirati astronaut shared not only an update on his work, but also stunning and spectacular images of Earth taken from space.

Earlier this week, AlNeyadi released a beautiful video taken from the orbiting laboratory, showing three cities in Saudi Arabia – Mecca, Medina and Jeddah – glowing at night.

AlNeyadi zoomed in on Medina and said: “This is the city to which the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his beloved people immigrated.

He then describes Jeddah as the bride of the Red Sea, before showing the holy city of Mecca, where the message of Islam took root alongside the Prophet (PBUH). He also pointed out the lights from the downtown mosque,

Next week, on April 28, AlNeyadi will make another history, becoming the first Arab astronaut to perform a spacewalk. The UAE will also become the 10th country to conduct extravehicular activities outside the International Space Station. As part of the ISS’s 262nd spacewalk, he and NASA flight engineer Stephen Bowen will work together for more than six hours to support assembly, maintenance and upgrades of the orbiting space station.